WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 14, 2013 - Calling policies
that support distributing ethylmercury-containing vaccines to
developing nations “discriminatory and paternalistic,”
the Coalition for Mercury-free Drugs (CoMeD) has called on
delegates to the 5th Meeting of the United Nations
Environment Programme, Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee
(UNEP/INC 5), currently meeting in Geneva, to enact a worldwide ban
on using mercury compounds in vaccines and other drug products.

“The discrepancy between the distribution of mercury-free
vaccines to wealthy and predominantly Caucasian populations, while
mercury-containing vaccines are distributed to poor and
predominantly non-Caucasian groups is undeniable and immensely
troubling,” said Rev. Lisa K. Sykes, President of CoMeD, in a
letter to Committee Chair Fernando Lugris.

“The double standard in vaccine safety which currently
exists is unethical. The possibility that the United Nations, under
the tutelage of the World Health Organization (WHO), would
tolerate, or ignore, an obviously discriminatory policy based on
income, nationality, and even race, is frightening,” Rev.
Sykes continued.

CoMeD, dedicated to reducing mercury-exposure risks for the
unborn, children, and adults, has provided clear evidence that the
use of Thimerosal – a highly neurotoxic ethylmercury-based
compound – as a preservative in vaccines and other drugs
leads to mild-to-severe mental retardation and/or autism in
mercury-sensitive children.

Despite such mounting evidence – including more than 200
peer-reviewed scientific studies presented during the Committee
meeting in Geneva – the UN, WHO, and other groups including,
most recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics, continue to
endorse the use of mercury in vaccines distributed to developing
countries.

That endorsement hasn't stopped health organizations and even
nations from fighting back. The 2012 Health Freedom Congress,
comprised of 40 health freedom organizations from across the U.S.,
passed a resolution supporting the removal of Thimerosal from all
drugs. Then, Chile became the first developing country in the world
to pass legislation banning the use of Thimerosal-preserved
vaccines.

“I pray my developing nation will lead the way in setting
one standard in vaccine safety for all of the world's children, and
especially children of the developing world,” Carmen
Chaigneau, the Director of Bioautism-Chile and mother of a child
poisoned by Thimerosal through vaccines, testified at UNEP/INC
5.

In an era when cost-effective, much less toxic, and more
effective alternatives are available and, in fact, already in use,
vaccine safety advocates argue there is no conscionable
justification for the continuing use of Thimerosal or any other
mercury compound in medicine.